


Stay With Me

by Shujinkakusama



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Kissing, Requited Love, Sleepy Cuddles, Tumblr Ask Box Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-07
Updated: 2016-11-09
Packaged: 2018-08-29 15:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8495875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shujinkakusama/pseuds/Shujinkakusama
Summary: Garnet falls asleep on Pearl after a mission. Pearl is ill-equipped for having her best friend in her personal space. The blanket is more hinderance than help. // Pearlnet, plotless fluff.





	1. Chapter 1

Pearl stared up at the ceiling wide-eyed, altogether unsure of how she got into this particular position and predicament. For starters, she was trapped on the floor, in a pile of Steven’s blankets, with her neck angled somewhat painfully over one of Steven’s plush bears. She’d had worse berths, of course, but…

 

The strangest part, by far, was what—or, rather, _who_ —she was trapped beneath.

 

One very heavy, very asleep, Garnet.

 

Pearl said nothing, in part because there was nothing to say. Garnet had come home from a mission, wrapped her arms up in her embrace, and promptly toppled forward onto the ground, dead asleep. Not far away, Steven, too, was asleep—it was very early morning, before the sun had started rising—and Pearl didn’t want to risk waking him.

 

It had still been dark when Garnet collapsed into her arms, still cool outside, but hours later, Pearl couldn’t feel the tips of her fingers, and her neck was cricked beyond anything she could recently recall.

 

But she couldn’t sleep, not because Gems _didn’t_ , because that was half a lie. There was no need, but they could—Garnet’s even breath against her bare shoulder was a comfort, at least. But what passed for her heart pounded too fervently for her to even _attempt_ sleeping like this, and even long after she’d forced her muscles to relax, she couldn’t calm her racing thoughts.

 

Garnet, Garnet was wonderful—too wonderful, too lovely, too _much_ for her to handle, in all her perfection and beauty. Pearl sighed wistfully and finally managed to turn her head so that the accursed stuffed bear stopped kicking her in the neck, and in so doing jostled the beautiful Gem awake.

 

It would have been impossible to tell; with her visor on, with her face already angled slightly upward, Pearl would have been none the wiser, if not for the faint, involuntary squeeze that Garnet gave her slight chest. The smaller Gem shivered at the feeling of electricity that coursed through her, a soft, familiar current that went from Garnet’s warm palm straight to her Gem. Pearl whined deep in her throat; Garnet phased away her visor to get a clear view of her best friend’s blue-stained cheeks.

 

“I fell asleep on you.”

 

It wasn’t a question.

 

Pearl managed to nod around her heart, suddenly both high in her throat and trip hammering against Garnet’s Gem at the same time. The Fusion pushed herself up, however slightly, one thigh pressed firmly against the blanket, the only real barrier between her and Pearl’s core.

 

“It’s day now.”

 

Another nod, and Pearl tried to detangle herself to very little effect; Garnet’s left arm was behind her shoulders, and her right was still crossed over her chest.

 

“Steven’s sleeping,” Pearl managed in a whisper, cheeks blazing as Garnet looked her over, eyes visibly searching for something Pearl couldn’t quite place.

 

“Then we should move,” Garnet said in kind, and finally she moved off of Pearl’s legs. Pearl wasn’t sure that she could stand, but she would happily try—only Garnet scooped her up instead, blankets and all, and it was all Pearl could do not to let out a startled squeal at the very new position.

 

“I—“ Pearl started, but she didn’t put up a fight as the Fusion crept past Steven’s bed to the stairs. Here, she might have expected Garnet to let her down, to give her the chance to walk on her own, but she did no such thing. Instead, her best friend continued on to the door of the Temple, opening it without so much as moving her hands away from Pearl’s knees and shoulders. The room that opened wasn’t the bubble room, and Pearl’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Where are we—“

 

“I do have a room,” Garnet pointed out softly, striding in without a second glance. “If we’re going to sleep, we’ll need a bed. Your room’s a bit lacking.”

 

Right. Sleeping. Pearl flushed in embarrassment; sleep wasn’t what _she’d_ had in mind, but it made perfect sense that Garnet would want to continue what she’d been doing.

 

Even if it was strange to be a part of that.

 

Pearl said nothing more, certain that speaking out would somehow ruin whatever Garnet had in mind, and Garnet was equally quiet as she traversed a deep red cavern, lit with ice blue crystals, toward what passed for her bedroom.

 

She didn’t use it often; that was clear enough. But Pearl was still surprised to be deposited on a fairly comfortable bed, bedecked with pillows and blankets of its own, purple and just slightly shimmery in the dim light. “I didn’t know you had—all this,” Pearl managed, breath hitching as Garnet curled around her bodily, tucking one arm under the slighter Gem’s aching neck and cradling her head in hand while the other arm wormed its way under the blanket to curl around her trim waist. Again, Pearl felt her breath leave her, and when Garnet’s nose nuzzled her shoulder she swore she could have dissipated her form then and there.

 

“Wh-what are we—“

 

“Just sleeping,” Garnet said softly, voice thick and heavenly, and Pearl closed her eyes and tried to imagine what it would be like if she actually _could_ sleep under these conditions. She didn’t think it was possible. “I’m not going to take advantage of you, Pearl. Just don’t want to let you go right now.”

 

There was no way Garnet hadn’t noticed her thundering pulse at such close quarters, or the way her chest trembled when she breathed, and it occurred to Pearl that perhaps she’d somehow given the wrong impression completely by accident.

 

“I never thought you would,” she managed in a tight breath, scrunching her eyes shut as if her embarrassment would fade away with the world around her. “I trust you, Garnet, more than anyone.”

 

Garnet hummed against her shoulder, and Pearl shuddered, finding Garnet’s hand against her stomach and threading their fingers together. Garnet squeezed softly, and Pearl squeezed back. “I want to talk to you about this,” she said thickly, pressing her lips against the scant expanse of skin above Pearl’s collar. “But right now, I need to sleep, or else this room is going to fall apart when I do.”

 

Pearl wondered just how arduous Garnet’s mission had been, but didn’t ask. That could wait for later. She sighed faintly, overcome with warmth from head to toe. She squeezed her hand again, turning her cheek to kiss Garnet’s arm. “I’ll be here when you wake up,” she promised, and Garnet made a noise of appreciation against her neck.

 

It wasn’t long before Garnet was asleep against her back, and this time, Pearl was soon to follow.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Garnet wakes up to a happy surprise in her bed.

Garnet was the first to wake, but that didn’t mean she was the first to _move_. She was idly surprised by her position, as the last thing she clearly recalled was warping home and falling into something soft and welcoming. Though she hadn’t moved once she’d fallen asleep, having her arms around Pearl was… strange, comforting, and brought to mind more questions than answers.

 

That they were apparently in her room inside the Temple brought up even _more_ questions.

 

Pearl fit neatly against her, and Garnet wondered how long she had slept, and whether Pearl had rested long to boot. More often than not, when Pearl slept, it was for quick bursts; Garnet generally slept much longer.

 

The Fusion noted that Pearl’s fingers were woven through hers, clutching her hand tightly against her stomach, and Garnet wondered briefly at that, too. Pearl’s long fingers fit almost perfectly between hers, like pieces of a strangely satisfying puzzle, and Garnet tried very cautiously to withdraw her hand to no avail.

 

Pearl clung fast, made a quiet noise of discomfort in her sleep—presumably dreamless, for she wasn’t projecting anything onto the opposite wall—and shifted closer to her best friend with a tired sigh. Garnet almost chuckled.

 

Since removing her hand wasn’t an option, and Pearl slept quite contentedly on her opposite elbow, Garnet settled instead for looking toward possible futures. They were at a crossroads now, but she wasn’t entirely clear on what had brought them here.

 

Garnet knew perfectly well about Pearl’s feelings for her. The other Gem had long been transparent about them, even before Rose’s death. For all her charms, Pearl had the subtlety of Sardonyx’s war hammer over glass.

 

Not that it was a bad thing. Pearl was quite charming in her tendency toward being utterly oblivious about her own feelings, and Garnet privately enjoyed getting to needle reactions out of her without reprimand. Pearl was lovely, and sweet, and a million other things that Garnet loved and enjoyed—but she was absolutely dense about reading subtlety in other Gems.

 

She wasn’t shy, not particularly. Garnet was quite confident and self-assured in almost every respect, and her ability to quickly gauge possible futures helped immensely. But when it came to Pearl…

 

Pearl was a wildcard in the same way Ruby was; she thwarted fate at every turn, eluded Garnet’s future vision, and very often seemed to throw probability out the window like it was nothing at all. She was wild and unpredictable, even when she came home after a mission and did dishes and chores for hours with regularity that should have been completely _boring_.

 

But Garnet loved her for it, loved her for so much _more_ than her sweetness and unpredictability, and it was abundantly, blazingly, _blindingly_ clear that Pearl had no idea that she felt that way.

 

And somehow, she’d still wound up in Garnet’s arms, asleep like an angel, like she had never been so comfortable in all her days.

 

Garnet buried her face in Pearl’s hair, enjoyed a whiff of her honeyed scent, and was certain that she had never been more comfortable.

 

“Un…” Pearl groaned, and Garnet let her roll over, out of her grip. For a moment, she seemed content to stay asleep, face down on Garnet’s bed, but that wasn’t very likely—and sure enough, Pearl bolted upright only a few seconds later.

 

“Good afternoon,” Garnet said, idly running her hand down Pearl’s arm and eliciting a shiver that seemed more encouraging than anything. She smiled, unused to seeing Pearl like this—without her visor on, and without Pearl’s usual dancer’s poise—and Pearl swallowed thickly.

 

“It’s afternoon already?”

 

“Probably,” Garnet chuckled, “But I haven’t gotten up to check.”

 

Pearl laughed somewhat uneasily, settling down beside her best friend and folding her arms to act as a pillow. She certainly looked more comfortable than she must have been, even though there was wariness in her shoulders that Garnet longed to rub away.

 

“I don’t remember getting you here,” Garnet confessed, “I hope I didn’t say anything too strange.”

 

Color dusted Pearl’s pale cheeks, and she chewed her bottom lip with an almost uncharacteristic agitation that was still incredibly endearing. Garnet reached to push her companion’s hair away from her face with one hand. “That’s a yes, then.”

 

“You said you wanted to talk about ‘this,’” Pearl managed, leaning into Garnet’s palm. “But if you don’t remember—“

 

“I kind of remember that,” Garnet said quickly, “But I’ll admit, it’s fuzzy.”

 

“You kissed my neck.”

 

 _Oh_.

 

It was Garnet’s turn to flush a deep magenta, because _that_ was something she didn’t remember clearly at all.

 

Garnet didn’t like to ask questions when she could avoid it, but it looked like this was not the time for trying to be cool or collected. She swallowed almost nervously, because the future was evenly split from here, regardless of how she worded her question.

 

“Did you mind?”

 

The question hung heavily between them, but Pearl shook her head after a moment’s pause. “I had a hard time sleeping,” she admitted, looking down at her hands, idly twisting to and fro against the borrowed blanket from Steven’s room. “I thought… you’d never seemed interested, and I know Ruby and Sapphire are…”

 

“They’re not here,” Garnet said, “Well, sort of. But it’s just you and me, Pearl. It’s not about anyone else right now.”

 

Pearl’s blush was impossible to miss now, and Garnet prided herself somewhat on being able to coax that reaction from her, especially when she was flustered too. The alabaster Gem let Garnet take her hand, and Pearl threaded their fingers together again. She said nothing, but Garnet could sense that something was _coming_ , so she was silent until Pearl garnered the courage to speak first.

 

“You’re wonderful,” Pearl blurt out, “I’ve always, always thought so, Garnet. I… this morning, I thought you maybe… felt the same.”

 

“You know I think you’re wonderful,” Garnet said carefully, “I have all along.”

 

“But I meant—“ Pearl started, then sighed, staring down at their hands instead.

 

“I love you.”

 

Wide blue eyes shot up to meet Garnet’s tri-colored gaze, and her best friend was smiling somewhat cautiously, drew her fingers up to her lips, and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “You were thinking it too,” Garnet murmured against her skin, “But I wanted to say it, before you justified not saying anything.”

 

Pearl stared, mouth slack, eyes impossibly round. “You do?” she managed in a gasp, “Garnet, I—really?”

 

“I wouldn’t lie to get a reaction out of you,” Garnet pointed out, running her thumb over her knuckles. “You’re my best friend, the most wonderful Gem I know, unbelievably gifted, and beautiful, resourceful—“

 

“Garnet!” Pearl squeaked, cutting her off, and the blue that stained her cheeks had flared up to encompass her entire face, along with parts of her neck.

 

“I was just getting started,” Garnet purred, “But I can stop if you’d like.”

 

“Those are all things I should be telling _you_ ,” Pearl murmured, finding the strength to look up again into Garnet’s eyes. All three shone with mirth and sincerity, and Pearl could have cried for joy. “Garnet, I, after what I did…”

 

“It’s been months,” she pointed out, patting the space close to her and tugging Pearl’s arm invitingly. The lithe Gem moved into the space she’d occupied earlier, only this time, Garnet was facing her, and Pearl thought her form would dissipate. Garnet went on without missing a beat; “I’m not angry anymore. We’ve both gotten past that. It wasn’t enough to put me off from loving you, anyway.”

 

Pearl stared, and Garnet didn’t mean to look ahead to see what was coming, but moments before Pearl could close the distance between them, Garnet knew she would do it. It made it that much easier to kiss back, to respond with vigor first rather than surprise, and Garnet tugged Pearl flush against her to indulge in her first real kiss with gusto.

 

Pearl didn’t have much of a taste, but the electrifying feeling of her cool lips against Garnet’s was more than she could ever imagine; Garnet instinctively took control of the kiss, drawing knowledge from Ruby and Sapphire, and turning that knowledge into a kiss so passionate, so mind-blowing, that Pearl’s hair stood on end and a jolt of electricity popped between their lips when they separated for air.

 

For a long moment, Garnet stared at Pearl, and her best friend stared back, before they both dissolved into helpless giggles, fueled by the audacity of the situation. That Pearl’s hair looked like Amethyst had taken a balloon to it helped.

 

Garnet laughed, tugged Pearl closer, and rolled onto her back so that Pearl was on top of her. “Anything you want to say in return?”

 

“Oh!” Pearl squeaked, but she laughed soon after, reaching to cradle Garnet’s face in her hands. “I think you already know I love you,” she said, leaning in for a soft kiss, languid and lingering this time, and Garnet surprised her with the introduction of teeth and tongue. A quiet groan caught in the back of Pearl’s throat, and she kissed her soundly, letting herself melt into Garnet’s embrace while the Fusion utterly dominated their kiss.

 

The world tried, briefly, to go white; and it was only then that Garnet broke the kiss. When she opened her eyes, Pearl could see the light from her Gem shining into Garnet’s face, and she reached up to cover it.

 

“Whoops,” they said in unison, and Garnet was the first to start laughing this time.

 

“Shoud’ve seen that coming,” she said ruefully, and Pearl giggled, planting an affectionate kiss to her cheek.

 

“You should’ve,” Pearl scolded her, with no bite in her voice at all. “We’d better get out of here if we’re going to continue… well, anything like that. Can’t Fuse in your bedroom.”

 

“We _could_ Fuse in the boiler…”

 

“Garnet!”

 

Garnet laughed, releasing Pearl’s slim waist as she got up. “Okay, fine, the boiler room is too small,” she admitted. “Amethyst’s room is big enough…”

 

Pearl was so blue-faced that she could have rivaled Lapis Lazuli. “I am _not_ making out in Amethyst’s room,” she said, “Not even with you.”

 

The Fusion grinned, leaning in for a quick peck. “We’ll have to warp somewhere, then,” she said. “Call it a mission.”

 

“That would be a lie,” Pearl pointed out, absently folding Steven’s blanket. She got three turns in before Garnet’s lips were up against the shell of her ear, and when Garnet spoke, she faltered and dropped the comforter altogether.

 

“I don’t know about you, but _I_ have something in mind that would make it a 'mission'.”

 

“Garnet!”


End file.
